Tiger Woods plays his second shot on the 5th hole Sunday during a practice round at the 143rd Open Championship at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. / Steven Flynn, -USA TODAY Sports

by Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sports

by Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sports

HOYLAKE, England -- On seaside links christened with the royal designation in 1871, its ground weathered by harsh gusts off the Irish Sea, these words were once written by Bernard Darwin: "Hoylake, blown upon by mighty winds, breeder of mighty champions."

This week, Tiger Woods looks to begin anew here in the British Open, the oldest major in golf.

Father Time hasn't been kind to Woods, the former world No. 1 who at 38 is coming back from back surgery March 31, the latest physical disorder that has disrupted his march toward Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major championship triumphs.

Despite his playing just two competitive rounds in four months, Woods' spirits are buoyant, his body pain free and his confidence growing as he prepares for the first major he'll play this season, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

"Before I had the procedure, I was at the point I couldn't do anything," said Woods, who flew in five days before Thursday's start of the 143rd British Open. "That was tough to deal with. And with two little kids running around and I couldn't participate in anything they were doing, that was tough period. ...

"I'm only going to get stronger. As the weeks go on, I'm getting stronger and faster. ... This is how I used to feel. I had been playing with (the back injury) for a while, and I had my good weeks and bad weeks. Now, they are all good."

It was at Royal Liverpool in 2006 that Woods, two months after the death of his father, Earl, had one of the best weeks of his career. He controlled his emotions, his game and the leaderboard to win his second consecutive Claret Jug, the third of his career. The fans that flocked to this quaint coastal resort that week enthusiastically embraced Woods, who shared a lengthy hug with his caddie, Steve Williams, after putting out on the 72nd hole.

The fans are doing so again.

There are Tiger sightings everywhere, even stretching to Liverpool 30 miles away. Stuffed tigers, poster-sized tigers and statues of tigers - all accompanied with hopeful wishes for Woods - adorn the narrow streets and some shop windows.

During Woods' practice round Sunday with Matt Kuchar, with winds whipping and the sun shining, 500 to 1,000 spectators formed the only moving gallery on the 150-acre layout, many yelling encouragement to their favorite player.

Eight years ago, when Woods won six majors in a stretch of 14 played from 2005 through his last major win in the 2008 U.S. Open, Royal Liverpool was burnt to a crisp. A sizzling spring led into an abnormally hot summer that left the course brown and brick hard. Two fire engines remained on the grounds in case flames emerged; players and spectators were cautioned about smoking.

Woods strategically overpowered the course despite hitting his driver just once during the tournament. This year, however, Mother Nature has left the course lush and green. While the greens are relatively flat, the heather is up, and the moguls and mounds and deep pot bunkers still garner the utmost respect.

During practice rounds Saturday and Sunday, Woods spent much of his time on and around the greens and hit a variety of shots off the tees, including low, boring shots with long irons. Despite the changed landscape, Woods said he might rarely use his driver, sacrificing distance for accuracy.

"It depends on the golf course," Woods said. "This golf course is giving it up. There's lots of roll even though we just got rain. The forecast is supposed to be clear. It's supposed to dry up a bit.

"This golf course really tests your patience and your shot-making and your ability to control shots, especially with all the different angles we have to hit. In '06 I had it going and really had control of my ball."

What Woods will have going this week as he seeks his fourth British Open title and 15th major is a mystery.

Before he required a microdiscectomy to alleviate pain from a pinched nerve in his back, Woods hadn't played well in three starts, having to withdraw from one tournament because of the injury.

In his return nearly three weeks ago, when he missed the cut in the Quicken Loans Invitational with rounds of 74-75, his short game, especially his chipping, was spotty.

In 2006, Woods was the 5-1 favorite to win. This week, he's going off at 20-1 in some of the legal betting parlors.

"There are other appealing story lines at Hoylake, but none as appealing as Tiger coming back from surgery," ESPN analyst and major champion Paul Azinger said.

After Sunday's practice round, Kuchar called Woods "impressive."

"We had a little match going on, and on the last hole he stuffed one in there close from 160 yards to beat me, so that was a bit of a bummer," Kuchar said. "But totally like the Tiger we're used to seeing."

ESPN analyst Curtis Strange, a two-time major champion, isn't expecting much from Woods this week. "He hasn't played but one tournament, so how can he expect his swing to be consistent and accurate," Strange said. "If he goes to Hoylake saying, 'I'm here to win and that's the only thing,' then he would be telling a lie to himself."

But former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Rory McIlroy isn't dismissing Woods' chances. "We have all witnessed what Tiger has been able to do over his career," McIlroy said.

"He won the U.S. Open on one leg. ... I wouldn't write him off completely. I still think he can do things that we have never seen from any other golfer."